The Wheeler City Council on July 15 heard that the finalist for city manager had rescinded her application and moved to reopen the recruitment.

Councilors read a public letter from a resident raising objections to the finalist’s past conduct and noted the in-person finalist had asked to withdraw. The city manager who had been serving in an interim capacity, identified in the city manager report as Maddie Chesnock, was excused from the meeting. Councilors discussed reposting the position quickly and whether to publish a salary range.

A key administrative detail: councilors agreed staff should repost the job with a shortened recruitment window (four to six weeks was discussed rather than the longer posting used previously) and to contact prior finalists to let them know the vacancy is open again. Several councilors recommended posting a salary range rather than a single figure; the previous posting had been described in the meeting as $80,000 (discussed by councilors as potentially too low to attract candidates). The council also discussed whether the job description should clarify budgeting responsibilities and how those duties interact with an existing finance manager role.

Councilors asked staff to check legal and procedural steps for reposting and for advice about whether to contact prior applicants before a fresh posting. Staff said they would consult the League and other resources and bring options back to the council; members also discussed the practical need to be competitive with neighboring cities on pay and to consider part-time or alternate schedules to attract candidates.

Why it matters: the city manager role is the city’s chief administrative position and involves oversight of the budget, staff and operations. Councilors weighed the need to fill the position quickly against the fiscal constraints of the city’s budget.

Next steps: staff will repost the announcement, reach out to prior finalists as a courtesy, and return with options on salary range, timeline and any recommended edits to the job description. Councilors discussed holding a special session if needed to accelerate hiring decisions.

Quoted material in this story comes from meeting remarks and a public letter read into the record by a resident.